Little Creative Nest

Sunday, January 25, 2015

I know I'm a little late in sending my wishes, but I wanted to say HAPPY 2015!

I've got a little video up and running on YouTube, chatting about the end of the year and sharing a few recent projects. You can check it out here:

Finished projects:Barley Hat by Tin Can Knits in Vanna's Choice in Eggplant. This is a super cute, easy pattern - great for beginners! Seems that so many bloggers and podcasters were making this hat at the end of the year!

Basic Childrens Mittens by Elizabeth Durand in Vanna's Choice in Eggplant. I knit the medium size (Child 8-10) which fits her really well but still allows for some room to grow.

Bankhead by Susie Gourley in Patons Classic Wool in New Denim. First finished project of 2015! Right after I finished this I found that Dan of the Bakery Bears Podcast was doing an informal "Bankhead-along" and decided to cast on another! This one was knit with some discontinued Schachenmayr Nomotta yarn that came from my grandmothers stash. It's really soft and squishy and as soon as I finished it my husband claimed it as his own!

I also finished a chunky cowl and my first weaving project for my daughter - she has all kinds of goodies to keep her warm! lol

Finally, I finished spinning some yarn! It was fiber from Three Waters Farm in the Surprising Satisfaction colorway. I really like how it turned out, even if my spinning wasn't perfectly consistent. I ended up with about 200 yards and I'm still trying to decide what to make with it that will use all of the yarn. Probably something like a Quaker Yarn Stretcher I think...

Works in Progress:The socks that never end: These are my husbands Packers socks, knit with Crafts Meow yarn in the Packers Punch colorway. I finally finished the first sock (after ripping them out 3 times over the course of a year!) and have started the second sock. Unfortunately, he won't be able to wear them to cheer on the Packers in the Superbowl, but he'll have them to start the new season off right! Because of the number of stitches and needle size, the yarn has essentially striped. Normally it would pool but I do like the way it has turned out. :)

Spinning: I just started working on a new braid of fiber by Unwind Yarn Co in the Stop & Smell the Poppies colorway. It's my first time working with BFL, and it has a very interesting feel. It feel much denser than my previous fiber, while at the same time drafting quite easily. I'm not planning anything specific with the spin, just letting the fiber do what it wants. Overall, I think it will end up more of a rusty color once the golds and deep reds mix, but it's really too early to tell. It's spinng pretty thin at the moment, so we'll see what kind of yardage I end up with in the end.

Abstract dischloth from Dishcloth Divas. I really like this book...it's been out for a little while and there is also a second book now out as well. If you are looking for some new patterns for the boring old dishcloth, check these books out! I'm knitting it with I Love This Cotton from Hobby Lobby...it's a really soft yarn and could work just as easily for a face cloth as a dishcloth. No progress photo yet - I'm knitting it as a gift so I will post a photo at a later date. :)

That's about it for now! I am still trying to find a good time to record regularly...to be honest I think I have tried recording this episode at least 5 different times over the past 2 months! I'll get there though! :) Up to date pictures can be found on my Instagram account if you are interested in checking it out (link on the left sidebar of the blog).

I hope that you had a lovely holiday season and wonderful start to the new year! I'm really looking forward to what 2015 will bring!

**Forgot to mention** - the cardigan I am wearing was knit by my grandmother. I have no idea what the pattern name is or even when it was made. My dad and I have begun the process of going through my mom's things and she had a bunch of sweaters in her closet that were made by my grandmother so I took a few. They are a little loose fitting (my mom liked to wear things on the loose side) but it's warm and perfect for a wintry day. :)

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Friday, November 7, 2014

Works in Progress:
Hubby Socks - I've made a little progress on his socks since my last episode. Andy remains hopeful that I will have these socks finished before the Packers finish their season. :)

Celestarium - I haven't worked on this shawl in a while, but I do love it! I'm knitting this with Madeline Tosh Tosh Merino Light in the Ink colorway - beautiful!! I'm using 6/0 silver lined clear beads for the stars.

Measure in Love hat - I'm working on this for my son. :) I'm using SMC Select Extra Soft Merino Alpaca yarn - a new purchase!

Sewing
Halloween Town cross stitch project - I was hoping to have this little project done before Halloween, but it just didn't happen. No worries - next year!

Halloween costumes - I was up to my eyeballs in tulle making Abby;s Queen of Hearts dress and felt making Davin's flame pants! :) She looked pretty stinkin' adorable and Davin looked awesome as a Rocket Man. The kids were troopers, even with the cold, wet weather all night!

Paper
I made a some little toppers for baggies to hold the Cub Scout awards for this month's pack night. All supplies by Stampin' Up.

Did a little coloring with my Prismacolor pencils and a Saturated Canary stamp. This will go into my Faix-bonichi journal!

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Knit with Leading Men Fiber Arts Dramaturg base in "Ain't my First Rodeo" colorway. This was a very easy pattern and I highly recommend it! The yarn is yummy and I can't wait to work with it again in more colors! This particular colorway is a little hard to photgraph...under different lights it looks brown, gray, taupe...it actually has all of these colors in the yarn as well as a dusty blue, but it's funny how the light affects this particular yarn.

Knit with Lana Grossa Meilenweit 6-Fach Special in the "Undied Tweed" colorway. This was from my grandmother's stash and I love when I have an opportunity to work with her yarn! The hat is super slouchy and squishy and I can't wait to use it this winter!

Knit with Patons Kroy Jacquards in the Rose Fern Jacquard colorway. I love how cherry these stripes are! The Vanilla Latte pattern is a favorite of mine...I've knit three pairs of socks with this pattern! I'm working both socks together in the hopes of avoiding the dreaded "Second Sock Syndrome"!

Knitting these with CraftsMeow Ice Cream Sundae base in the "Packers Punch" colorway. He has been asking for socks since last football season - oops! In my defense this is my 3rd attempt at these socks...since I had never made socks for him before I just couldn't get the fit right. I think I finally have it this time. I'm not following a particular pattern, but I am pulling elements from some of my favorite patterns. The heel flap, for example is from the Vanilla Latte pattern. Go with what you know, right? :)

Spinning:

Spun with Little Monkey Stitch & Spin fiber in the "Seascape" colorway. It was such a bright, happy batt and I couldn't resist it! I spun it with a very basic spindle which I found at a local museum. You can find it HERE.

How cute is this??? Each month they release a new square and as you can see I am VERY behind! But I am working on it when I have some time and I really enjoy it. I used to cross stitch a lot when I was younger and had forgotten how much I liked it!

There you go...a peek at the things I have been working on over the last week or so. Please let me know if you have any questions and I hope to see you again very soon! :)

Wednesday, October 8, 2014

Hi everyone!
So, I had this crazy idea. Why not start making videos again???

I took a hiatus for quite a while for a couple of reasons.
1. Technology. It was becoming darn near impossible to make videos with my dying Flip Camera. It was even harder to edit those videos with the program I had. I was attempting to make videos in one go, which is challenging for tutorials. Eventually I had to admit defeat.
2. Inspiration. This was linked to reason 1 a bit as well. I was running out of ideas for tutorials I could do in a single take and it was super stressful to get everything perfect in one try. Also, my crafting interests were starting to shift a bit from exclusively doing paper crafting to including fiber crafts. Some of that also had to do with the next reason...
3. Time. My personal time is limited and therefore, quite precious. The family is getting older and more active, so I spend most nights running the Mom Taxi or helping with homework, trying to keep the house somewhat presentable, etc. Really no different from most people, right? But I just could give up crafting. I just needed to adjust crafting to fit my new lifestyle. I am a slow crafter and I like to have my supplies handy when I work. I started to lean toward fiber crafts because it was a new challenge, but it was also more portable. I can take my project bag with me and work on my socks or other small project while I am on my lunch break, or at my sons game or daughters dance class. I just need yarn and needles or a hook. So much easier than hauling my small paper trimmer, cardstock, stamps, ink, adhesive, Copics or colored pencils. I can do that at home where I can spread it all out in front of me, working at my own pace.

So what now?
I have a new camera - yay! I have played a bit with the editing software that came with my camera, but for now, I will plan on single runs of my videos. I am following the examples of some of the great video podcasters out there and we'll see how this goes.
My thought is to discuss projects I have been working on over the past week or two and show them in whatever stage they are in. That way I don't have to wait until I have something finished before I share it. I may still do tutorials here and there, but for the most part it will be a discussion of the process rather than the product. I may also do some product reviews now and then, depending on what I come across and whether it's something I think might be interesting to you. :) We all love a little enabling, right???
It won't be just knitting/crochet. Granted, it will take up most of what I talk about, because that is mostly what I am crafting these days. But I will still talk about paper crafts. I still make cards and dabble in new adventures like calligraphy and I would love to share that with you. I will also add bits about other things in my life...how I am trying to stay organized, things I am learning with my children, etc.
How often will I podcast? I'm not entirely sure. I will plan on every other week, but I would love to do it weekly if my schedule allows. I just don't know if that will be possible quite yet. My first "episode" is just about ready to be posted to YouTube so once I finish notes here I will publish it.

I hope you join me on this new adventure and enjoy it! I am excited to give this a try. I feel like I have been pretty disconnected lately, and there are so many wonderful people out there who have been so generous and kind to me. Thanks for that, truly. I'm looking forward to being back in the mix again and even meeting some new friends through this crazy little adventure. :)

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Monday, August 11, 2014

Today I wanted to share a quick project I finished a few days ago. A while ago I was perusing good ol' Pinterest, and came across a pin that suggested putting a dog bowl in a planter to dress it up a bit. What a great idea! We don't have a dog, but wouldn't it be fun for neighbors who walk their dogs by our house?

I stopped at my local Home Depot to check out their planters. To be honest, I had a little bit of a hard time picking a planter. I was originally planning to get a plastic urn style planter, but I couldn't find what I had in my mind. After walking up and down the aisle a few times deciding between a few other options, I finally landed on a terracotta planter that seemed short enough for most dogs to get their noses into easily and wide enough to hold a bowl.

I then went to the local Petco with my planter in hand to find a bowl to fit. Plus it was a nice excuse to peek at the adoptable animals in the store. My kids were thrilled to see a quartet of kittens in a little tent, sleeping and playing. I nearly needed to buy leashes for the kids to haul them out of the store! :)

Once I decided to use a terracotta planter, I knew it needed to be painted! I used paints I had on hand, because goodness knows I have plenty of craft paint!

I painted the inside of the planter a lighter sky blue about halfway down the inside of the planter. With the bowl inside, there really isn't a need to paint the entire interior, but you certainly could. I then painted the outside of the planter in a dark blue. Once that was dry I added paw prints in white paint around the planter, just to make it clear to the humans what the intended purpose of the bowl is. :)

When everything was dry again, I used a craft varnish on both the outside and inside of the planter. Since I was using craft acrylic paints and it would be outside, I wanted a little extra protection for it.

One more time to dry, then I popped in the bowl, filled it with water and put it in the front yard along the sidewalk. I put it next to our huge tree and while it isn't the prettiest spot, I put it there because I didn't want walkers or bikers to miss it and accidentally knock it over. My husband and I have plans to redo the area around the tree anyway so it will look nicer once that is done.

We've already had some neighborhood pups stop during their walks and get a little refreshment, which just tickles me! Hopefully they continue to enjoy it! :)

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Thursday, May 22, 2014

As I say far too often, things here are busy. I don't say that as an excuse or to look for sympathy, but really just as a fact. Life is busy. That's ok though...it makes you appreciate the quiet moments more.

One of things that has kept us busy has been Abby's involvement in dance. At the end of last year, I wasn't sure if she was going to want to dance again this year. When we were leaving her recital she told me, "I don't want to go to dance class anymore. I think I'll just go to the recital". :) I decided not to pester her about dance during the summer. It had been another busy year, and for the first time she had taken a full set of the basic classes, that is, ballet, tap and jazz. I think she was just tired. At the end of the summer the sign up notification came in the mail and I asked her what she wanted to do. Thankfully, she was ready to dive back in. Suddenly she wanted to sign up for everything...ballet, tap, jazz, acro, lyrical, hip hop, etc. Yikes! She was also excited because the studio director had decided to create a competitive jazz team for her age group and had asked her to participate. Then it turned out that two of her dance buddies were also going to be in her class at her new school, so it was dance all the time! :)

In the end, we decided to stick with the basic trio (ballet, tap, jazz) and we let her choose between Hip Hop and Lyrical. She decided on Hip Hop. Her flexibility needed a little work, so her teachers also recommended the Acro class. Since she had been doing gymnastics the year before, we decided to keep going along that line and do Acro too. Is your head spinning yet? Do I sound like a crazy dance mom yet? lol Before you think I have become a cast member of "Dance Moms", read on...

It's not that bad really. She is at the studio 3 nights a week, but two of them are only 45 minute classes. The Acro class has really helped her with her flexibility. Her confidence is way up, and she loves her teacher. The Hip Hop class is ok...I think the shine wore off after a bit but she still enjoys it. I think there is just too broad an age group and skill level and she gets a little lost sometimes. It's pretty fast paced.

Her trio classes are on Thursday, back to back. That works out to just over 2 hours. With her energy, she doesn't blink an eye and it gives me some time to work on some knitting or other portable craft project. Her Jazz team has been a blast; she feels so special being part of the Comp Team and there are only 6 girls in the class so they are all really close now. It's been a bit of an eye opener for me in terms of the competition world, but nothing bad. Really, it's more like, "How do these dancers do this for multiple numbers over the course of a weekend?!?!" I'm exhausted after only one number and I'm not dancing! I give them a lot of credit - these dancers are real athletes. The other parents have been really welcoming and really supportive of each other and the kids - they work really hard at making things as easy as possible for them. They coordinate food tables/potluck, help each other's kids with costumes & makeup, create all kinds of fun things to show team spirit and don't let drama play a part in it. The older dancers are assigned a younger dancer as a "buddy" and the buddies give each other little gifts or make signs to cheer each other on. It's a really great program.

So I thought I would share a few pictures of Abby from the past few months to give you a taste of what is happening:

When the competition season started, we had to add a little more "bling" to the costume. After all, it needs to shine on the stage! So the E-6000 tube and I became fast friends. Whew, fumes! :)

And of course their bears needed a little "bling" too! :)

In class and on competition days there is lots of rehearsing! The girls are dancing to "Mr. Sandman" and they start and end the number asleep with their bears. It's such a cute routine and really age appropriate.

Competition done, and smiles all around! The girls have placed 2nd in their age group at each of the three competitions they have attended - not bad for first timers! They have also taken a few special awards - way to go girls! This will also be their Jazz number for the recital in June and I know everyone will love it!

Last but not least, is her studio picture. This is her ballet costume and I just adore it. She loves it too, as she told me there is great "twirlability" with this dress. Her Hip Hop costume, well...it's not what I would have picked, but I'm not a fan of gold lame' as a general rule. :)

As for me, I leave you with this:

We're having shirts like this made - after all, you just can't take things too seriously, right? :)

Next time, we'll talk baseball season!

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Monday, May 19, 2014

Hi everyone - it's been shamefully too long since I've blogged. Things have been busy of course, and at the same time I have felt like there hasn't been anything meaningful to write about. But I need to get back in the saddle, so to speak. I wanted to start by sharing a story.

A few days before Mother's Day I had a dream about my mom. I rarely remember my dreams, and this is the first dream I know of that I've had about my mom since she died in January. It wasn't a very long dream, really just a moment, but it was incredible vivid.

I was in the back of a room, almost as if it was scene that was being set up in front of me. The room ran lengthwise across and toward the front of the room there were a few round tables and chairs. My mother was sitting at one of the tables, with her back mostly to me. She was looking at a friend of hers, who was talking to her very animatedly. My mom wasn't saying anything, she was just listening patiently, which was very normal for her to do.

Suddenly the scene shifted and I was at the end of the room, to the left of where I had been watching before. At that moment, I was a participant in the scene. I looked at her, and could feel myself getting excited that she was there...she was really there! She turned and looked at me. Her friend suddenly didn't seem to be there, though I knew she still was. But I was completely focused on my mom, and she on me. It seemed that my entire field of vision was filled with my mom's face, but I didn't feel like either of us had moved. She looked at me very seriously, not angry or anything like that. Instead, she seemed determined. Determined that I remember this moment, as if she knew I rarely remember my dreams.

Then she slowly and clearly said, "Everything's ok".

At that moment, I could feel the emotions start to well up. I wanted to say so much to her, to hug her, to cry, to tell her how much I miss her and how hard everyday is without her. Before any of that could happen though, I woke up. I woke with a choked back sob in my throat, and all I wanted to do was cry. But I couldn't, I physically couldn't. I caught my breath, and I remember whispering "Thanks, Mom". I immediately fell back asleep.

In the morning I cried. I told my husband about my dream and I cried. After I took the kids to school I cried on my way to work. I teared up most of the day. I just couldn't get the image out of my head. I shared the story with my brother and he told me that the night before he had been feeling pretty low, thinking about mom. That morning, he had seen my note, and it made him feel better. Like it was a message to us, letting us know that things are ok. Whether things are ok with her, or will be ok with us...I hope that it will be both.

I still think about that dream regularly, but now, it's comforting, rather than upsetting. I miss her so much, but I trust her when she says "Everything's ok".

About Me

Hi everyone! I'm Melanie, a 30-something Michigan girl, a wife, and mom to my beautiful son and daughter as well as two lazy felines. I love to try out any kind of art supplies though these days I primarily knit, crochet, make cards & play with stamps. I also work full time at a job I adore so in general I'm pretty busy...
I hope you'll enjoy your visit here!